Hawkins County deputies find missing man in hospital

Hawkins County, Tennessee deputies said they have found a missing man they spent more than four hours searching for Tuesday night.

HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. -

Hawkins County, Tennessee deputies said they have found a missing man they spent more than four hours searching for Tuesday night.

Around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday the Hawkins County Sheriff's Department got a 911 call from a man using a prepaid phone saying he was hurt and lost. "I went walking in the woods and I have broken my leg. I have no idea where I'm at," said Wilburn Landon on the 911 call.

During the two-and-half minute call, Landon tried to explain to the dispatcher where he was. "My friend dropped me off on Stanley Valley Road by the state line," he said. "I could see lights from homes, I went over a creek and now I don't see any lights."

Chief Deputy Tony Allen said they formed a search and rescue team and combed about a mile of the area. "They searched the creeks and woods in that area until about midnight," said Allen.

He said emergency responders take these searched very seriously, but they take a lot of time, money and resources. "It takes a lot of personnel with the rescue squad, volunteers, units and sheriff's department. We had quite a few members on scene," he said.

On Wednesday morning, investigators made contact with Verizon Wireless and were able to learn more information about Landon's phone records. "They helped us make contact with the last person he called," Allen explained. That person told deputies Landon was at Holston Valley Medical Center.

A Wellmont spokesman said he arrived around 11 p.m. Tuesday and underwent surgery. He was in stable condition.

"We follow up on every call we get to see what we can do to help," said Allen.

Detectives are still working to determine what happened to Landon and how he got to the hospital. Allen said no foul play is suspected.